RAM Belt Keeper

ABSTRACT

A duty belt holding clip having an elongated unitary loop element of resilient material and made of an essentially flat strap is bent into a flattened loop with two overlapping end portions. These portions are able to receive the duty belt and keep it stable at waist level and avoid sagging.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to belts, and more particularly to duty belt and tool belt keeper for securing and supporting various accessories about the waist of a user.

Description of the Related Art

Protective personnel, such as military, law enforcement, and security personnel, require an extensive array of accessories during the performance of their assigned duties. For example, typical law enforcement personnel must carry and have ready access to a wide range of accessories, such as a night stick, flashlight, chemical agent dispenser, handcuffs, communication radio, firearm, and several extra magazines of rounds for the firearm. The total weight for this array of accessories is often between 15 and 25 lbs. Typically, the accessories are attached to a belt worn upon the waist of a user, the belt referred to as a “duty belt” in the art. A typical prior art duty belt is formed from a semi-rigid material, such as leather, having a constant width of 2 to 2.25 inches. Each of these various accessories and tools are attached to the duty belt through the use of loops on the tools which then connect to the duty belt. The loops are coupled to the accessory cases, usually permanently, and the duty belt is then slipped through the loops, coupling the accessories to the duty belt while allowing the position of the accessory cases to be adjusted along the length of the duty belt.

There are multiple solutions that have presented in prior art regarding advancements in Duty Belts. For instance, a Duty belt system bearing U.S. Pat. No. 8,985,411B2 is issued to Ryan Mongan, Juan Sadder, David Law, Graeme Esarey, Scott Comins. The patent discloses one example of the invention describes a belt that is to be used by uniformed professional field personnel (e.g. law enforcement, fire, park department, search and rescue, private security, utilities personnel, military, etc.). Some examples of the invention introduce many new features which allow for improved access, comfort, reliability, ruggedness and cosmetics. In one embodiment, the description describes a metal rail on a belt, to which accessories attach. The other items of the inventions are the details of the buckle and its various designs. Other attachments and accessories, plus various setups and arrangements for the belts and buckles, are also presented here. For example, the elastomeric belt variation helps the user, when sitting, with the belt on.

An Ergonomic duty belt and holster belt loop assembly bearing U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,586B1 is issued to Safariland LLC. The patent discloses an ergonomic duty belt and ergonomic holster and belt loop assembly are disclosed which cooperate to provide a stable platform for a handgun in a holster and other accessories as well while providing superior comfort for the wearer. The ergonomic belt effectively has two widths, a narrow 1½ vertical effective width, which is against the wearer's body, and a traditional 2¼ inch exterior vertical width, which is sized to support the wearer's gear, such as a holster and a weapon. That portion of the ergonomic belt, which is against the wearer, is also padded for additional comfort. The ergonomic holster includes a belt loop assembly which is tapered and padded on its inner surface in the area where the assembly touches the wearer's body when worn as intended to better conform to the body of the wearer and minimize wearer discomfort.

Another patent disclosing an ergonomic duty gear belt bearing U.S. Pat. No. 7,900,278B2 is issued to Safariland LLC discloses an ergonomic duty gear belt for carrying duty gear components having a first curved conically shaped side section and a second curved conically shaped side section pivotably hinged together and a lumbar pad wrapped around the hinged connection of the belt to provide support for the lumbar area of the wearer.

A Duty belt system bearing U.S. Pat. No. 8,510,868B2 is issued to D4 BRANDS LLC. The patent discloses one example of the invention describes a belt that is to be used by uniformed professional field personnel (e.g. law enforcement, fire, park department, search and rescue, private security, utilities personnel, military, etc.). Some examples of the invention introduce many new features which allow for improved access, comfort, reliability, ruggedness and cosmetics. In one embodiment, the description describes a metal rail on a belt, to which accessories attach. The other items of the inventions are the details of the buckle and its various designs. Other attachments and accessories, plus various setups and arrangements for the belts and buckles, are also presented here.

A Belt clamp and carrier bearing U.S. Pat. No. 7,657,977B2 is issued to Prezine a Florida LLC LLC Safariland LLC. The patent discloses a belt clamp with a pivotal article carrier attached thereto includes a base and a cover hinged together at the top. The cover includes a passageway at the lower end to accept a barb-like fastener integral with lower end of base to lock clamp closed. A tongue projects inwardly from the cover to contact and inhibit movement of a duty belt inside the clamp. The base includes a pair of intersecting arcuate slots and a reversible insert having one arcuate slot to make the clamp usable by either right- or left-handed users. A movable belt width adjustment bar is mounted inside the clamp to accommodate belts of various widths. Bosses around the lower opening of the cover inhibit twisting of locked clamp to prevent inadvertent opening. A locking plate is provided to inhibit rotation of fasteners used in pivotal mounting of an article carrier to the belt clamp.

A Belt keeper for utility belts bearing U.S. Pat. No. 2,007,003,3698A1 is issued to Adam Long. The patent discloses a belt keeper for securing a duty belt to a garment is disclosed. The belt keeper has a fastener tab on the inside surface so that the belt keeper can be detachably attached to the fastener strip on the inside of the duty belt. The fastener tab is flexibly attached to the belt keeper so that the belt keeper can readily allow its user to secure the duty belt to the garment belt, and keep the belt keeper in its position even after disengagement. In another embodiment, the belt keeper has a flexibly attached clamp on the inside of the belt keeper. The clamp can be detachably attached to the duty belt, so that the duty belt can be readily secured to the garment belt, while facilitating the belt keeper to maintain its position on the duty belt upon disengagement. In yet another embodiment, the clamp is a dual clamp, where one clamp is attached to the inside surface of the belt keeper and the other clamp can be detachably attached to the duty belt.

A Duty Belt Buckle bearing U.S. Pat. No. 2,012,031,7703A1 is issued to Ryan Mongan, David Law, Juan Sadder, Scott Comins. The patent discloses a duty belt buckle for securing a duty belt around the waist of a user. A duty belt buckle is fixed to one end of a duty belt and employs a mating element that engages with an attachment member on the distal end of the duty belt. A cover which rotates with respect to the buckle body and has securing extrusions which prevent the mating element from disengaging with the attachment member when the cover is in a closed position.

There are multiple solutions that have been presented in prior art. However, these solutions are limited and restricted to their conventional systems. The current invention is focused on presenting an ergonomic duty belt keeper that is comfortable, keeps duty belt and tool belts at waist level, is easy and quick to use and remove, aids in the even distribution of weight upon the user, securely holds accessory cases in place, while also being economical to manufacture, reliable, and able to satisfy the performance expectations of the end user.

None of the previous inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Hence, the inventor of the present invention proposes to resolve and surmount existent technical difficulties to eliminate the aforementioned shortcomings of prior art.

SUMMARY

In light of the disadvantages of the prior art, the following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.

The primary desirable objective of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved form of ergonomic duty belt and tool belt keeper having a pliable outer covering, a semi-rigid frame member to maintain professional appearance.

It is also the primary objective of the invention to provide a duty belt and tool belt keeper which supports an tool and accessory retainment system.

It is another objective of the invention to provide a main assembly of duty belt and tool belt keeper that is comfortable to use and just requires a slip-on function for proper adjustment.

It is also the objective of the invention to provide an assembly which securely holds duty belt and tool belt in place at waist level and is easy to adjust and remove.

It is also the objective of the invention to provide a buckle for a duty belt and tool belt keeper which are made of reliable construction and are good for long term use.

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a duty belt and tool belt assembly that is simple and convenient to use.

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a duty belt and tool belt assembly which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making them economically available to the buying public.

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a duty belt and tool belt configured in multiple attractive designs.

Other aspects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The present invention is directed to a duty belt and tool belt keeper which securely holds duty belt and tool belt, with accessories and tools in place, while also being economical to manufacture, reliable, and able to satisfy the performance expectations of the end user.

The present invention is an ergonomic duty belt and tool belt keeper having a pliable outer covering, a semi-rigid frame member; providing an effective accessory retainment system. A conventional duty belt and tool belt are weighed down by the accessories and tools at the waist of a user, creating a semi-conically shaped section that has a narrower circumference near its base and a greater circumference near its top. The duty belt keeper allows the user to retain the duty belt or tool belt in place on the waist. The accessories weight is supported and balanced, and the slipping of duty belt and tool belt is avoided.

The belt keeper is easy and quick to use and remove. It prevents the sagging from heavy tools and equipment. The assembly is effective and comfortable duty belt hold and maintains a professional appearance.

While a specific embodiment has been shown and described, many variations are possible. With time, additional features may be employed. The particular shape or configuration of the platform or the interior configuration may be changed to suit the system or equipment with which it is used.

Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1: depicts the duty belt in its closed form as per preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2: depicts the top side of duty belt as per preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3: depicts another view of duty belt as per preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4: depicts the open form of duty belt and showing usability as per preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view. 

1: Belt holding clip(s) to provide support and balance for weight from tools and attachments such as keys, police equipment, construction equipment, or the like comprising: a single elongated unitary loop element of resilient material having; an essentially flat back strip portion; a pair of bent-over connecting portions; wherein, in accordance with the invention the end portions overlap each other by a distance to fill the spacing of said end portions to receive the duty belt or tool belt. 